22 homes — or open space — for South Branch Road tract
By: Jack Baney
As developer Nicholas Braco moves ahead with his application to build a 22-house development on 64.5 acres off South Branch Road, he also is moving on a plan that would preserve this property as open space.
Mr. Braco appeared before the Planning Board June 8 to discuss his application for the South Branch Road development, Pleasant Valley Estates, and is scheduled to seek final approval at the board’s July 6 meeting.
But Mr. Braco added that he is still interested in “clustering,” or moving development away from the South Branch Road property and four other properties he owns and onto a 143-acre site at Beekman Lane and Orchard Drive, Planning Board Chairman Ed Wysocki said Wednesday.
“He’s going to proceed on getting his approvals on each of the individual parcels, but he’s still going to proceed with the clustering proposal,” Mr. Wysocki said.
Through clustering, Mr. Braco would use development credits from his five other properties to build on the 143-acre Beekman/Orchard property at a higher density than the township’s zoning laws normally allow. The developer is currently seeking state approvals for the plan, said Mr. Wysocki.
“It’s really up to Mr. Braco to proceed on getting many of the approvals he needs,” he said. “It’s in his hands right now.”
Pursuing both options may allow Mr. Braco to push for approval of his clustering plan, enabling him to argue that he would develop more property unless clustering is approved.
After obtaining state approvals for the clustering plan, Mr. Braco will have to enter into a developer’s agreement with the township before it can be built. In addition, he will have to obtain approvals from the Township Committee for a sewage-management facility on the development’s site and from the Planning Board for a site plan.
But if Mr. Braco forgoes the clustering plan and builds Pleasant Valley Estates, it would include a detention basin, a new 900-foot road, and a new 2,100-foot road. The 900-foot road would run north from the western side of South Branch Road to the 2,100-foot road, which would run perpendicular to the other road on its eastern portion and parallel to South Branch Road on its western portion.
Mr. Braco received preliminary approval for the Pleasant Valley Estates application in July 1999. No Planning Board members expressed concerns about the application last week, Mr. Wysocki said.
“Really, there were no questions,” he said. “I think the biggest concern was why he was proceeding with the application while the cluster proposal is still alive.”
Mr. Braco was unavailable for comment.